The CMJ Showcase

I give up. I had to look it up. I've played this thing dozens of times, gone to countless extra rehearsals, and washed extra shirts despite only having a total of 3. 

What the hell is the CMJ showcase?

Surely it is a chance to showcase your talents, to meet important people in the industry, to make connections, to get swept up by a label. Surely the standard of quality of bands and songwriters that play in venues for the door or for tips increases when said venues book 10 acts a night instead of 7. A gig for the CMJ showcase is more than just a typical gig in New York City - allow me to elaborate:

The CMJ Music Marathon is the world’s most important platform for the discovery of new music. Every fall, CMJ invades New York City with over 1,300 artist performances, filling more than 80 of the city’s greatest venues, nightclubs and theaters.

Attendees have access to 1,400+ artist performances, plus hundreds of panels, seminars, Q&As, nighttime parties, meet and greets, mixers and special events.

Over 120,000 fans, entertainment industry professionals, college radio tastemakers, bloggers, press and musicians come from around the world to join us for the Marathon madness.

Should you choose to take part, note that you can register to save off the full $549 price of admission - never mind the fact that most of the venues charge a cover that is in the single digits. Yes, zero is a single digit too. It is the cover for a show I will be playing next week, following the conclusion of the CMJ showcase, leaving me to wonder; what if that show was 3 days earlier?